, 1887-12-01

u ms. iICt- IL!t q EJelllI5 pI L.-31 4-I'L
tive assemblies with prayer, The aU-
pointmeut and maintenance OF chap
!aIus III the army and navy. and tn,
appointment by proclamation of Ma
tioual and State Thanksgiving ant
Fast days. Yes. this Is a Christicn
Nation. III It's life, its development
and manifestation. Is contradistin
gui7hc;i from /, Pagan. Mahommcdar
OF Atheistic nation. 1t Is true tha
there Is no established religion III til,
land, supported 10y public tax: n,
union OF church and state, no na,
tIUnahZrd religions sect, To the cXclu-
sion Of others. Nor Is 1t desirable
there should be. All religions are
tolerated and protected that are not
destructive OF good moral and sub
versiye of civil authority. But overI
anti-rei:gion is not tolerated The
constitution and laws do not sanction
biasphcmy nor protect the blasphe
mer. 1t Is Christian nation that
calls the people of this land to meet
N their respective places of worahiI
to render homage to the Most High
to day. And i'll obedience to the Ma
tlonal call, Thanksgiving and Praise
to God are going up from all parts OF
this broad aud highly favored coun-
try-from Maine TO Cape Flattery
and from the Lake Of the Woods tc
the Gulf of Mexico And it is meet
that We should acknowledge the good
hand of our God upon us in giving
MS national existence and in nurtur-
ing, guarding and defending Us amid
all the trials of the past until he has
placed Us among the first of tie Ia
tions of the earth
If any people on the face OF the
earth have reason to praise God fog
his goodness, that people are the citi-
zen6 of the United States of America.
The wonderful growth of the nation
in population. in territory, in wealth,
IL development of material resources,
and III advancement in the useful
arts aud sciences. aud IN political
eminencc IS SO surprising and be
wilderimg that We need 10 send to
every pulpit in the land a request
similar to that which was sent to an
eminent British Clergyman when
about 20 ccnduc; public worship. II
was written III these words: The
prayers of this congregation are
earnestly desired for man who is
prOspering in his worldly concerns" "
Ii the man who did that acted hons
estly and sincerely, and there is no
reason to question 1t, he showed a
good acquaintance with the weakness
and depravity of human nature He
had studied himself and had observed
others. He had also read his Bible
to good purpose, which informed him
how Job, anterior to his trials, had
said: Il shall die in my nest" How
David in his prosperity had said: Il
shall never be moved" How HeZe-
kiah, delivered, recovered, honored,
rendered not according to the benefit
done unto him, for his heart was
lifted up;" and how "Jeshurun waxed
fat and kicked" A nations as well
rs Il mans prosperity, has often
worked ruin. 1t tends to beget lux
ury and enervating and demoralizing
indulgencie5 and habits, aud there
fore, while we should praise God fol
his goodness, we should also pray
that God by his grace would prevent
our abusing his goodness and turning
our blessings into curse.
We should thank and praise God
for his favoring providence, by
which he has crowned the past
year with his goodness, and his
paths have dropped fatness." The
husbandman la. had a bountiful
harvest, and all branches of honest
industry have yielded an ample in
crease. The hum of honest industry
is heard in all branches of business,
and in all departments of human la
bor A tide OF prosperity is upon Us,
and especially upon the Paciti, coast,
such as the county has never seen.
The balance of trade with foreign
countries is largely in our favor, en-
abling rs to retain and use the profits
of our various industries i'll the fur
ther development and Improvement
of these industries.
The income of the National Gov
srnment is largely in excess of its
expenditures, enabling it, not only to
meet all its obligation. promptly, but
largely to reduce the public debt, and
to refund the remainder at greatly
reduced rate of interest.
Railroad construction this year has
exceeded all previous years, even
that OF 1884, which had exceeded all
other years. And yet, in the midst
of all this general prosperity, | have
no doubt that there are hero and
there all over the land, persons, who,
on comparing their condition with the
prosperity of others, are disposed to
grumble: like those people who are
always complaining about the wealth
er, although it's condition may ad-
mirably suit the convenience, and
comfort, and business of others.
They find no cause for thanksgiy-
ing and praise over general prosper
ity, if they themselves are not the
largest sharers in it. The public
good carriers with 1t the good OF the
Individual: and all should rejoice to
gether, and praiseithe Lord for his
goodness, and for his wonderful
works to the children of men"
We have also cause for thanksgiv,
ing, In that we have been preserved
from the ravages of pestilential and
epidemic diseases.
We are thankful that We have been
favored with peace at home and witt
foreign nations when we did not neeC
q navy.
We should be thankful that WI
have country which IN the variety
and quantity of its productions. agri,
cultural, mineral, and mechanical, i.
not only adequate to supply our OWL
wants, but also the wants of al
needy nations that We have q coun-
try SO excellent in geographical posi-
ton. in Typographical variety, pictur-
esque beauty and grandeur; and 81
varied in climate, that while we have
the temperature of the most desira.
ble foreign lands, we are not in some
parts frozen into statues, or IN other;
dissolved with heat; that our varied
soils as well as temperatures. are
,~I,x,tol nf oil lind,